• The Facebook Blog, Tuesday, February 17, 2009 11:45 AM

In a memo to users, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks out against the hubbub surrounding the recent update to the site's Terms of Service. While the blogosphere went up in arms about Facebook owning users' data forever and being able to dictate its use, Zuckerberg tries to calm users by explaining the company's philosophy. Meanwhile, Perez Hilton and other prominent bloggers have called on their readers to stop using Facebook.

Basically, Zuckerberg says that any information you share with another user belongs to that user. So, any messages you send to a friend on Facebook will last, even if you delete your Facebook account. "We think this is the right way for Facebook to work, and it is consistent with how other services like email work," Zuckerberg says. "One of the reasons we updated our terms was to make this more clear."

Meanwhile, Facebook keeps that data, too--forever. "In reality, we wouldn't share your information in a way you wouldn't want," Zuckerberg explains. "The trust you place in us as a safe place to share information is the most important part of what makes Facebook work...Our philosophy that people own their information and control who they share it with has remained constant."

Read the whole story at The Facebook Blog »